Assisted system scanning with paired devices

ABSTRACT

A method in a first wireless device, the method performing wireless network scanning to discover available wireless networks; and communicating results of the scanning to a second wireless device, the results containing information to enable the second wireless device to connect to at least one of the available wireless networks without the second wireless device having to perform the same wireless network scanning or reduce the amount of scanning required to connect to at least one of the available wireless network. Also a method in a first wireless device, the method receiving results of wireless network scanning performed on a second wireless device, the results containing information enabling the first wireless device to connect to at least one available wireless network discovered during the scanning without the first wireless device having to perform the same wireless network scanning.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention relates generally to wireless devices, and moreparticularly to wireless system scanning in mobile communicationdevices.

BACKGROUND

Many different types of wireless devices exist today. Increasingly, manyof these devices are mobile and powered by battery which has limitedcapacity compared to fixed wireless devices that may be powered directlyfrom an electrical outlet. The battery-powered wireless devices includebut are not limited to mobile phones, smart phones, laptop computers,and tablet computers. Users may carry and use more than one batterypowered wireless device at once. For example, a user may carry and useboth a smart phone and a tablet computer. It is possible for suchdevices to have one or more wireless capabilities in common. Forexample, two wireless mobile devices may both have cellularcapabilities, wireless local area network (WLAN) or Wi-Fi™ capabilities,Bluetooth™ capabilities, etc.

Furthermore, it is possible for wireless devices that are located inproximity to one another to communicate directly with each other over anestablished communication link like Bluetooth™ or Universal Serial Bus(USB). In such an instance, these devices are hereinafter referred to asbeing “paired” together. The communication link between devices allowsthe devices to exchange information for one or more purposes. Suchpurposes can include the transfer of data or files from one device toanother, the synchronization of applications or data such as emailsynchronization status and program settings, among others.

In some instances, a user's two wireless devices may attempt to use thesame wireless access capability. Before a wireless connection can beestablished, it is common for a wireless device to carry out a scanningprocess in search of available networks. In such a situation, bothdevices will undertake a scanning process in search of availablenetworks including user-owned cells, networks available on supportedRadio Access Technologies (RATs) including cellular, WiFi, etc. Thissituation can be further described using the following example in whichtwo devices wish to connect to a Wi-Fi network. In such instances, bothdevices will use their Wi-Fi radio in an attempt to find and connect toa Wi-Fi access point. This procedure involves active or passive scanningfor Wi-Fi access points, and then if one is found, connecting to theaccess point. This work is energy intensive and consumes significantbattery power of both devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will be better understood having regard to thedrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram representing an exemplary wireless networkaccording to one aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing steps of a method according to one aspectof the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram representing an exemplary wireless local areanetwork according to one aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram representing an exemplary telecommunicationsarchitecture comprising a Closed Subscriber Group network according toone aspect of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a block diagram representing a mobile device according to oneaspect of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure provides a method in a first wireless device, themethod comprising the steps of: performing wireless network scanning todiscover available wireless networks; and communicating results of thescanning to a second wireless device, the results containing informationto enable the second wireless device to connect to at least one of theavailable wireless networks without the second wireless device having toperform the same wireless network scanning.

The present disclosure further provides a method in a first wirelessdevice, the method comprising the step of: receiving results of wirelessnetwork scanning performed on a second wireless device, the resultscontaining information enabling the first wireless device to connect toat least one available wireless network discovered during the scanningwithout the first wireless device having to perform the same wirelessnetwork scanning.

The present disclosure further provides a wireless device comprising: aprocessor; a memory storing therein computer readable instructions; andat least one wireless communication interface for communicating with oneor more wireless networks, wherein the processor is configured toexecute the computer readable instructions to cause the wireless deviceto perform wireless network scanning to discover available wirelessnetworks; and communicate results of the scanning to a second wirelessdevice, the results containing information to enable the second wirelessdevice to connect to at least one of the available wireless networkswithout the second wireless device having to perform the same wirelessnetwork scanning.

The present disclosure further provides a wireless device comprising: aprocessor; a memory storing therein computer readable instructions; andat least one wireless communication interface for communicating with oneor more wireless networks, wherein the processor is configured toexecute the computer readable instructions to cause the wireless deviceto receive results of wireless network scanning performed on a secondwireless device, the results containing information enabling the firstwireless device to connect to at least one available wireless networkdiscovered during the scanning without the first wireless device havingto perform the same wireless network scanning.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure disclosed herein aredescribed with reference to two wireless devices. However, this numberof devices is not meant to be limiting. It is contemplated that thepresent disclosure may be implemented with three or more wirelessdevices.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides for a wireless device,but the disclosure is not meant to be limited to any particular wirelessdevice. Examples of wireless devices include but are not limited to dataenabled cellular telephones, smart phones, personal digital assistants,tablet computers, and laptop computers.

The various features and components of the present disclosure are nowdescribed with reference to the Figures.

Reference is now made to FIG. 1, which shows a block diagramrepresenting an exemplary wireless network 100 having a wireless accesspoint 102 and first and second wireless devices 110, 112. Wirelessaccess point or base station 102 can be an access point in any type ofwireless network or technology, including but not limited to Wi-Fi,WiMAX™, a cellular network, and a home network. In addition, wirelessaccess point or base station 102 may be connected to another network104, such as for example a wireless local area network (WLAN), theinternet, a telecommunications network, etc. Although only two wirelessdevices are shown in wireless network 100, in at least one embodimentnetwork 100 can have one or more other computing devices.

In the present disclosure, the wireless devices may be of any typecapable of wireless communications, including but not limited to dataenabled cellular telephones, smart phones, personal digital assistants,tablet computers, and laptop computers. In at least one embodiment, oneor more of the wireless devices are battery powered devices.

For example, wireless devices 110 and 112 depicted in FIG. 1 may be atablet computer and a smart phone, respectively. It is becoming morecommon for a user to carry and operate two or more wireless devices. Forinstance, a user may prefer to use a smart phone for voicecommunications and text messaging, and to use a tablet computer for moreinvolved tasks such as emailing, web browsing, document editing, virtualprivate networking, video conferencing, to name but a few. Thus in suchcases where the two wireless devices are used by the same user, havesimilar user profile details and credentials, the devices will normallybe located and operated in roughly the same physical location. As aresult, the two wireless devices may be able to access one or more ofthe same wireless networks.

In some cases, the two or more wireless devices will be associated withthe same entity or user. The entity could be a business or otherorganization, and the user could be an individual. It is possible thatthe devices are associated with a single user account. The person orentity with which a device is associated may be used in anidentification and/or authentication procedure when there is an attemptto set up a communication link between two wireless devices. Theestablishment and use of a communication link between two proximallylocated wireless devices is discussed further below.

In at least one embodiment, each of the two wireless devices may have awireless interface for carrying out wireless communications. Thewireless interface can permit the wireless device to communicate withanother equipment, such as an access point or a base station. One suchexample is wireless access point or base station 102 shown in FIG. 1.Each device may support one or more wireless technologies, such as CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), Global Systemfor Mobile (GSM), GSM Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Universal MobileTelecommunications Service (UMTS), Evolution Data Only (EVDO), Long TermEvolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), High Speed Downlink Packet Access(HSDPA), Wi-Fi, and WiMAX. It is to be appreciated that this list ismerely exemplary and is not meant to be limiting.

In addition to carrying out wireless communications as discussed above,it is contemplated in the present disclosure that the two wirelessdevices, which are located in proximity to one another, are capable ofcommunicating with each other over a communication link. For example,FIG. 1 depicts a connection between devices 110, 112 via communicationlink 120. The communication link between devices allows the devices toexchange information for one or more purposes. Such purposes can includethe transfer of data or files from one device to another, thesynchronization of applications or data such as email and programsettings, the establishment and control of wireless connections, and thecollaboration of the devices to complete other tasks.

In some instances, a communication link will be or has been establishedbetween the two devices. In such a case, the two devices are hereinafterreferred to as being “paired” together. In addition, the skilled personwill appreciate that the communication link between the two devices canbe unsecured or secured.

Communication link 120 between devices 110 and 112 may comprise anyshort or long range wired or wireless connection, and examples of suchconnections include Bluetooth™, universal serial bus (USB), InfraredData Association (IrDA), Wi-Fi, Radio-frequency identification (RFID),Near Field Communication (NFC) connections. Other types of connectionsare possible.

In some instances, the two wireless devices will attempt to communicateover the same wireless network. For example, devices 110 and 112 mayboth attempt to connect to a Wi-Fi network. In this example, each of thetwo devices will use its radio autonomously (i.e. with no end userinteraction) in an attempt to find and connect to a Wi-Fi access point.This process involves scanning for Wi-Fi access points, and then if oneis found, establishing a connection with the access point. The scanningprocess is typically energy intensive and thus can consume significantbattery power of each wireless device. Thus in the aforementionedsituation, both devices scan for available Wi-Fi networks independentlyof one another. Since both devices are located in proximity to eachother, the devices will, in many cases, both be within the physicalrange of one or more available Wi-Fi networks. Thus at least some of theresults of the scan on each device will be the same. In the presentWi-Fi example, the results can contain the profiles or identifiers ofone or more Wi-Fi networks identified during the scan. Therefore sincethe results of the Wi-Fi scan can be similar or identical on bothwireless devices, the process of simultaneous scanning on both devicesis an inefficient use of battery power on one of the devices.Consequently the scanning process on the second device is redundant ifthe second device has access to the scanning results obtained on thefirst device. In such a case, the battery power of the second device isconsumed needlessly.

Therefore according to one aspect of the present disclosure, theabove-noted redundancy can be minimized or eliminated by performing thescanning on one of the two paired wireless devices, and then sharing theresults of the scan with the other of the two paired devices.

The basic steps of a method according to one aspect of the presentdisclosure are shown in FIG. 2. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, it isassumed that the mobile devices have radios that are turned on, but theconsidered radio access technology (RAT) is unavailable in thecommunications environment, thus necessitating searching, as shown byblock 210.

Specifically, FIG. 2 provides a flow chart which starts at block 202with the preconditions of block 210, and proceeds to block 220. In block220 one of the two or more wireless devices is selected to perform thewireless network scanning.

The process then proceeds to block 230 where the selected wirelessdevice performs the scanning.

The process then proceeds to block 240 where the results of the scanningare communicated to the other of the wireless devices. In oneembodiment, if there is no network or RAT found, such results are notcommunicated with the other device.

The process then proceeds to block 250 and ends.

The above method is now described in more detail.

As discussed above, in at least one aspect of the present disclosurethere are at least two wireless devices, the devices are proximallylocated, and the devices are capable of communicating with one another.The two devices are aware of one another or are able of discovering eachother. Solutions to this latter requirement are known to those skilledin the art. For example, the two devices may be capable of discoveringeach other wirelessly via Bluetooth, WLAN, etc., or over a wiredconnection, such as USB. Other solutions are possible.

Once the two wireless devices are aware of one another, each of the twodevices may know or be capable of learning of the wireless capabilitiesof the other device. The devices in some instances will need to know ofeach other's wireless capabilities before there can be an attempt toperform the wireless scanning at only one of the devices. For example,if it turns out that the devices do not share any wireless capabilitiesin common, then it may not be possible to perform the scanning processat only one of the devices. On the other hand, it may be possible to doso when the two devices share one or more wireless capabilities. Forexample, if both devices are Wi-Fi enabled, then it will be possible tocarry out the Wi-Fi scanning task at only one of the devices.

The wireless capabilities of a device may be communicated to the otherdevice over a communication link between the two devices. For Example,each device may by default provide its communication capabilities,battery capacity and/or level, battery status or other relevantinformation (such as being charged from wall charger etc.) to the otherdevice. Once a connection has been established between the two devices,the devices are “paired” together. This was described above withreference to FIG. 1. It is also possible that the two devices havepreviously been in communication, and thus are already aware of eachother's wireless capabilities. In such a situation, the devices need notexchange information on their wireless capabilities each time the twodevices are connected together.

In another embodiment, it is possible that only one of the deviceslearns of the other device's wireless capabilities. In such anembodiment, a first device may be designated to perform the scanning.Thus the first device will need to know of the wireless capabilities ofthe second device. However, the second device need not necessarily knowof the wireless capabilities of the first device.

In many situations, the two paired devices will want to connect to awireless network of the same type. According to one aspect of thepresent disclosure, this situation will be recognized and there will bean attempt to have the scanning process performed on only one of thedevices. Having reference to FIG. 2, a first block 220 in a method ofthe present disclosure involves selecting a one of the first and secondwireless devices to perform the scanning.

In a further embodiment, scanning may be shared between the devices. Forexample, in WLAN devices, a first device may scan 802.11 b/g and asecond device will scan 802.11a. At the end of the scanning the devicesexchange results. From FIG. 2, the allocation of the scanning can bedone at block 220, the scanning performed at each of the devices atblock 230, and the sharing of the results at block 240.

The selection of the specific wireless device that is to perform thescanning can be based on any criterion or criteria. In at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure, both first and second wirelessdevices will be battery powered. In this embodiment, the selection ofthe device that is to perform the scanning will be based at least partlyon the battery properties of the devices. For example, the selection canbe based on the relative battery energy storage capacities of the firstand second wireless devices. One measure of battery storage capacity isthe electric charge capacity of the battery. For example, in manybattery powered electronic devices, the electric charge of a battery isexpressed in the unit milliampere-hour (mAh). In many instances, it willbe desirable to select as the scanning device the device having thegreater battery storage capacity. For example, a tablet computer willtypically have a larger battery capacity than a smart phone. Thus insuch a case it may be desirable to have the tablet computer perform thescanning.

In another embodiment, the selection of the device to perform thescanning can be based on the relative battery energy levels of the firstand second wireless devices. The term “battery energy level” refers tothe amount of energy remaining in a battery. Thus in at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure, the device selected to perform thescanning can be the one having the greater battery energy level.

It is also possible to use other battery measurements or characteristicsin selecting the device that will perform the scanning. For example, onemeasure that may be used is the proportion of the amount of energyremaining in the battery to the overall capacity of the battery. Thismeasure can be referred to as battery “charge level”. For example, itcommon to refer to the charge remaining in a battery by way of apercentage (e.g. a battery is at 70% of capacity). In such a case, thedevice that is to perform the scanning can be selected based on therelative charge levels of the batteries of the two devices. In at leastone embodiment, the device having the greater charge level is selectedto perform the scanning.

Where the selection of the device that is to perform the scanning isbased on characteristics of the batteries of the two devices, it will benecessary for there to be an exchange of battery information between thetwo devices. This can occur when the two wireless devices initiallyconnect to one another, or at a later time, such as when it isrecognized that the two paired devices wish to connect to a wirelessnetwork of the same type. Signalling may thus exist to request orprovide information between the devices.

The actual selection or designation of the device to do the scanning canbe carried out in one of several different ways. For example, in atleast one embodiment, the selection or designation of one of the twowireless devices as the scanning device can be performed at one of thedevices. As discussed above, the selection may be based on one or morecriteria, including battery related characteristics of the devices. Suchconditions can be provided within software loaded onto the device at thetime of manufacture or later provisioned to the device, for example. Inaddition, the information on which the selection is based may be storedon one or more of the two devices, and/or it may be entered by a user ofone of the devices. For example, the selection can be based onuser-inputted information. For instance, a user may input into one ofthe devices a selection to have the device having the larger batterycapacity to perform the scanning. In another situation, a user maydirectly designate the device that is to do the scanning. Other optionsfor selecting the scanning device are possible.

After the device that is to do the scanning has been selected, theselected device performs the scanning in search of one or more wirelessnetworks. This is shown in block 230 in FIG. 2. The type of scanningthat is performed will depend on the type of wireless network the twodevices are attempting to connect to. For example, if the devices areseeking to connect to a Wi-Fi network, the scanning device will scan foravailable Wi-Fi networks. In another example, if the devices are seekingto connect to a user owned smaller area cell (also referred to as afemtocell or a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG)), the scanning device willscan for available femtocells. In a further example, both mobile devicesmay support Third Generation (3G) and Second Generation (2G) networks,supporting 3G bands 1,2,5,6 and 2G GSM 850, 900, 1800 and 1900. If bothdevices are turned on simultaneously in a new location, the devices canshare network scanning responsibility. For example, a first device canscan the 2G RAT while the second device can scan the 3G RAT, and theresults can then be shared. Such implementation may increase the systemscan efficiency by multi-party measurements.

In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the scanningprocess on the selected device will only commence or proceed while thebattery energy level of the selected device is above a specificthreshold. For example, a user may not want the device to perform anybattery intensive scanning if the battery energy level is at or below acertain critical threshold. The specific threshold can be set in anysuitable way, including being inputted by a user.

In addition, if and when the battery energy level of the selectedwireless device reaches or falls below the specific threshold, ascanning-ceased indicator can be communicated from the selected deviceto the other device, possibly over the communication link between thetwo devices. The scanning-ceased indicator can indicate to the otherdevice that the wireless network scanning at the selected wirelessdevice has ceased. The other device may then determine if wishes toperform its own network scanning.

In addition, the scanning may involve one or both of active and passivescanning. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, activescanning involves sending request or probe signals on one or morechannels or frequencies, and then waiting for a response. On the otherhand, passive scanning involves listening on a specific channel orfrequency for one or more periodic beacon transmissions from an accesspoint or base station.

Once the scanning has been carried out, the scanning device will havethe results of the scan. The results will include information on theavailable wireless networks. In the case where no wireless networks wereidentified, the results can indicate this outcome. The information onthe available networks may include an identifier and/or a profile ofeach network. The information may also include other information foreach available wireless network, such as for example connection and/ortransmission parameters. In at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the results will contain sufficient information on one ormore of the available wireless networks to enable the other (i.e.non-scanning device) to connect to one of the networks without having toperform any scanning on its own.

Once the wireless network scanning has been performed, the results ofthe search can then be communicated to or otherwise shared with theother device. In a further embodiment, the searching may continue andthe results reported only in a searched network is found. This is shownin block 240 in FIG. 2.

In at least one embodiment, the results will be communicated between thetwo devices 110, 112 over communication link 120. The communication ofthe results may be accomplished in any suitable way. For example, thedevice that performed the scanning can push the results over to theother device. Another option is to have scanning device notify the otherdevice that the scanning is complete. The other device may then requestthe results from the scanning device. In yet a further embodiment, theother device may poll the scanning device for the results. Othersolutions are possible and are within the knowledge of the skilledperson.

As mentioned above, in at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the results of the scanning will contain sufficientinformation on one or more of the available wireless networks to enablethe other (i.e. non-scanning device) to connect to one of the networkswithout having to perform any scanning on its own. This will enable thenon-scanning device to connect to an available wireless network withouthaving to carry out the battery intensive scanning process.

After the scanning process is complete, one or both of the devices canestablish a connection with one or more of the networks identifiedduring the scan.

In the disclosure below, several aspects of the present disclosure aredescribed with reference to two different exemplary wireless networkarchitectures.

Reference is now made to FIG. 3, which shows a block diagramrepresenting an exemplary wireless local area network (WLAN) 300comprising an access point 306 and first and second wireless devices310, 312. Devices 310, 312 are interconnected by way of communicationlink 320. Access point 306 may be connected to another network 308, suchas for example a local area network (LAN), the internet, etc. Althoughonly two wireless devices are shown in WLAN 300, it is to be appreciatedthat WLAN 300 can have one or more other computing devices, such asmobile devices and other types of wireless devices.

One or more of the methods of the present disclosure for scanning may beimplemented in the exemplary architecture shown in FIG. 3. For example,device 310 could be selected to perform the scanning, and then actuallycarry out the scanning process. Device 310 would identify WLAN network300, and in particular access point 306. The results of the scan, whichcan include information on network 300 and access point 306, such as anetwork identifier, WLAN profile, etc., would then be communicated to orotherwise shared with device 312. This information would then enabledevice 312 to establish a connection with access point 306 withoutitself having to do any scanning for WLAN network 300. Thus device 312is able to preserve battery power that it would have otherwise expendedin scanning for network 300.

Reference is now made to FIG. 4, which shows a block diagramrepresenting an exemplary telecommunications architecture 400 comprisinga femtocell 402. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, afemtocell is a user owned limited coverage area cellular base stationthat is connected to a telecommunications service provider's corenetwork via the internet. In FIG. 4, femtocell 402 includes femtocellbase station 406, an internet modem 408, and first and second wirelessdevices 410 and 412. Internet modem provides an interface between basestation 406 and the internet 440. The service provider's core network450 is connected to the internet 440. Core network 450 comprises one ormore base stations 452.

Femtocell 402 may be configured in a number different ways. For example,the network can be configured in closed subscriber group (CSG) mode. InCSG mode, only specific users are permitted to use the femtocellresources. Alternatively, femtocell 402 could be configured in an OpenAccess mode, wherein all users may access the femtocell.

In addition to the elements shown in FIG. 4, telecommunicationsarchitecture 400 may also include other components. For example, asecurity gateway may exist between the internet and the provider's corenetwork in order to secure the internet connection between a femtocelland the core network. In addition, the core network will typically havea femtocell device management system (FMS) for the provisioning,activation, and management of femtocells. Telecommunicationsarchitecture 400 may also have other components and connections. It isto be appreciated that telecommunications architecture 400 shown in FIG.4 is merely exemplary. Neither its components nor its configuration ismeant to be limiting.

The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in aconfiguration such as the one depicted in FIG. 4. For example, whenwireless devices 410 and 412 seek to establish a connection with accesspoint 406 in femtocell 402, the process of searching for one or morefemtocell base station can be performed on only one of the devices. Inthe example shown in FIG. 4, the scanning device is device 410. Once thescanning is complete, the results of the scan can be communicated fromdevice 410 to device 412 via communication link 420 to enable device 412to connect to femtocell base station 406 without itself having toperform any scanning.

The results of the scan can include information about any discoveredfemtocells. In the case where no femtocells were identified, the resultscan indicate this outcome. The information on the available femtocellsmay include an identifier of each femtocell. The information may alsoinclude other information for each available femtocell, such as forexample connection and/or transmission parameters. In at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure, the results will containsufficient information on one or more of the available femtocells toenable the other (i.e. non-scanning device) to connect to one of thefemtocells without having to perform any scanning on its own.

The arrangements depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4 are only exemplary and arenot meant to be limiting. Implementations of the present disclosure canbe realized with many other radio access technologies and networkarchitectures.

In addition to the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplatesone or more wireless devices capable of implementing at least part ofone or more of the methods described above.

According to at least one aspect of the present disclosure, a wirelessdevice is provided. The wireless device is capable of communicating withanother wireless device. The wireless device comprises a processor, amemory storing therein computer readable instructions, and at least onewireless communication interface for communicating with one or morewireless networks. The processor is configured to execute the computerreadable instructions to cause the wireless device to scan for wirelessnetworks using the at least one wireless communication interface, and tocommunicate the results of the scan to the another wireless device. Inat least one embodiment, rather than communicating the results to theother device, the device can merely make the results available to theother device.

An example of such a wireless device is a mobile device depicted in FIG.5. The mobile device of FIG. 5 is however not meant to be limiting andother wireless devices could also be used.

Mobile device 500 may comprise a two-way wireless communication devicehaving any of voice capabilities, data communication capabilities, orboth. Mobile device 500 generally has the capability to communicate withother devices or computer systems. Depending on the exact functionalityprovided, the mobile device may be referred to as a data messagingdevice, a two-way pager, a wireless e-mail device, a cellular telephonewith data messaging capabilities, a wireless Internet appliance, awireless device, a user equipment, a tablet, or a data communicationdevice, as examples.

Where mobile device 500 is enabled for two-way communication, it mayincorporate a communication subsystem 511, including both a receiver 512and a transmitter 514, as well as associated components such as one ormore antenna elements 516 and 518, local oscillators (LOs) 513, and aprocessing module such as a digital signal processor (DSP) 520. As willbe apparent to those skilled in the field of communications, theparticular design of the communication subsystem 511 will be dependentupon the communication network in which the device is intended tooperate.

Where mobile device 500 is enabled for two-way communication, it mayincorporate a communication subsystem 511, including both a receiver 512and a transmitter 514, as well as associated components such as one ormore antenna elements 516 and 518, local oscillators (LOs) 513, and aprocessing module such as a digital signal processor (DSP) 520. As willbe apparent to those skilled in the field of communications, theparticular design of the communication subsystem 511 will be dependentupon the communication network in which the device is intended tooperate.

Network access requirements will also vary depending upon the type ofnetwork 519. In some networks, network access is associated with asubscriber or user of mobile device 500. A mobile device may require aremovable user identity module (RUIM) or a subscriber identity module(SIM) card in order to operate on the network. The SIM/RUIM interface544 may be similar to a card-slot into which a SIM/RUIM card can beinserted and ejected like a diskette or PCMCIA card. The SIM/RUIM cardcan have memory and hold many key configuration 551, and otherinformation 553 such as identification, and subscriber relatedinformation.

When required network registration or activation procedures have beencompleted, mobile device 500 may send and receive communication signalsover the network 519. As illustrated in FIG. 5, network 519 can consistof multiple base stations communicating with the mobile device. Forexample, in a hybrid CDMA 1x EVDO system, a CDMA base station and anEVDO base station communicate with the mobile station and the mobiledevice is connected to both simultaneously. In other systems such asLong Term Evolution (LTE) or Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A),multiple base stations may be connected to for increased datathroughput. Other systems such as GSM, GPRS, UMTS, HSDPA, among othersare possible and the present disclosure is not limited to any particularcellular technology.

Signals received by antenna 516 through communication network 519 areinput to receiver 512, which may perform such common receiver functionsas signal amplification, frequency down conversion, filtering, channelselection and the like, and in the example system shown in FIG. 5,analog to digital (A/D) conversion. A/D conversion of a received signalallows more complex communication functions such as demodulation anddecoding to be performed in the DSP 520. In a similar manner, signals tobe transmitted are processed, including modulation and encoding forexample, by DSP 520 and input to transmitter 514 for digital to analogconversion, frequency up conversion, filtering, amplification andtransmission over the communication network 519 via antenna 518. DSP 520not only processes communication signals, but also provides for receiverand transmitter control. For example, the gains applied to communicationsignals in receiver 512 and transmitter 514 may be adaptively controlledthrough automatic gain control algorithms implemented in DSP 520.

Mobile device 500 generally includes a processor 538 which controls theoverall operation of the device. Communication functions, including dataand voice communications, are performed through communication subsystem511. Processor 538 also interacts with further device subsystems such asthe display 522, flash memory 524, random access memory (RAM) 526,auxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystems 528, serial port 530, one ormore keyboards or keypads 532, speaker 534, microphone 536, othercommunication subsystem 540 such as a short-range communicationssubsystem and any other device subsystems generally designated as 542.Serial port 530 could include a USB port or other port known to those inthe art having the benefit of the present disclosure.

Some of the subsystems shown in FIG. 5 perform communication-relatedfunctions, whereas other subsystems may provide “resident” or on-devicefunctions. Notably, some subsystems, such as keyboard 532 and display522, for example, may be used for both communication-related functions,such as entering a text message for transmission over a communicationnetwork, and device-resident functions such as a calculator or tasklist, among other applications.

Operating system software used by the processor 538 may be stored in apersistent store such as flash memory 524, which may instead be aread-only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown). Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the operating system, specificdevice applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily loaded into avolatile memory such as RAM 526. Received communication signals may alsobe stored in RAM 526.

As shown, flash memory 524 can be segregated into different areas forboth computer programs 558 and program data storage 550, 552, 554 and556. These different storage types indicate that each program canallocate a portion of flash memory 524 for their own data storagerequirements. The applications may be segregated based on the mode orcategory they fall into. Memory 524 may further provide security forcorporate data and if some applications are locked while others are not.

Processor 538, in addition to its operating system functions, may enableexecution of software applications on the mobile device. A predeterminedset of applications that control basic operations, including data orvoice communication applications for example, will normally be installedon mobile device 500 during manufacturing. Other applications could beinstalled subsequently or dynamically.

Applications and software may be stored on any computer readable storagemedium. The computer readable storage medium may be a tangible orintransitory/non-transitory medium such as optical (e.g., CD, DVD,etc.), magnetic (e.g., tape) or other memory known in the art.

One example software application may be a personal information manager(PIM) application having the ability to organize and manage data itemsrelating to the user of the mobile device such as, but not limited to,e-mail, calendar events, voice mails, appointments, and task items.Further applications, including, but not limited to, a media player,camera, messenger, mail, calendar, address book, web browser, socialnetworking, game, electronic book reader, map, or other application mayalso be loaded onto the mobile device 500 through the network 519, anauxiliary I/O subsystem 528, serial port 530, short-range communicationssubsystem 540 or any other suitable subsystem 542, and installed by auser in the RAM 526 or a non-volatile store (not shown) for execution bythe processor 538. Such flexibility in application installationincreases the functionality of the device and may provide enhancedon-device functions, communication-related functions, or both. Forexample, secure communication applications may enable electroniccommerce functions and other such financial transactions to be performedusing the mobile device 500.

In a data communication mode, a received signal such as a text messageor web page download will be processed by the communication subsystem511 and input to the processor 538, which may further process thereceived signal for output to the display 522, or alternatively to anauxiliary I/O device 528.

A user of mobile device 500 may also compose data items such as emailmessages for example, using a keyboard 532, which may comprise a virtualor physical keyboard or both, and may include a complete alphanumerickeyboard or telephone-type keypad, among others, in conjunction with thedisplay 522 and possibly an auxiliary I/O device 528. Such composeditems may then be transmitted over a communication network through thecommunication subsystem 511.

For voice communications, overall operation of mobile device 500 issimilar, except that received signals would typically be output to oneor more speakers 534 and signals for transmission would be generated bya microphone 536. Alternative voice or audio I/O subsystems, such as avoice message recording subsystem, may also be implemented on mobiledevice 500. Although voice or audio signal output may be accomplishedprimarily through the one or more speakers 534, display 522 may also beused to provide an indication of the identity of a calling party, theduration of a voice call, or other voice call related information forexample.

Serial port 530 in FIG. 5 would normally be implemented in a personaldigital assistant (PDA)-type mobile device for which synchronizationwith a user's desktop computer (not shown) may be desirable, but is anoptional device component. Such a port 530 would enable a user to setpreferences through an external device or software application and wouldextend the capabilities of mobile device 500 by providing forinformation or software downloads to mobile device 500 other thanthrough a wireless communication network. The alternate download pathmay for example be used to load an encryption key onto the devicethrough a direct and thus reliable and trusted connection to therebyenable secure device communication. As will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art, serial port 530 can further be used to connect themobile device to a computer to act as a modem. In addition, serial port530 can be used to establish a communication link between two wirelessdevices, such as communication link 120 shown between devices 110 and112 in FIG. 1. As described above, serial port 530 can support any typeof serial communication, including but not limited to USB.

Other communications subsystems 540, such as a short-rangecommunications subsystem, are further optional components which mayprovide for communication between mobile device 500 and differentsystems or devices, which need not necessarily be similar devices. Forexample, the subsystem 540 may include an infrared device and associatedcircuits and components, near field communications (NFC) or a Bluetooth™communication module to provide for communication with similarly enabledsystems and devices. Subsystem 540 can be used to establish acommunication link between device 500 and another wireless device, suchas communication link 120 between devices 110 and 112 in FIG. 1.

The embodiments described herein are examples of structures, systems ormethods having elements corresponding to elements of the techniques ofthis application. This written description may enable those skilled inthe art to make and use embodiments having alternative elements thatlikewise correspond to the elements of the techniques of thisapplication. The intended scope of the techniques of this applicationthus includes other structures, systems or methods that do not differfrom the techniques of this application as described herein, and furtherincludes other structures, systems or methods with insubstantialdifferences from the techniques of this application as described herein

Moreover, the previous detailed description is provided to enable anyperson skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Variousmodifications to those embodiments will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may beapplied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scopeof the disclosure described herein. Thus, the present disclosure is notintended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to beaccorded the full scope consistent with the claims, wherein reference toan element in the singular, such as by use of the article “a” or “an” isnot intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated,but rather “one or more”. All structural and functional equivalents tothe elements of the various embodiments described throughout thedisclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinaryskill in the art are intended to be encompassed by the elements of theclaims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicatedto the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitlyrecited in the claims.

1. A method in a first wireless device, the method comprising:recognizing a second wireless device, the second wireless device beingseparate from the first wireless device; selecting the first wirelessdevice as at least one device to perform wireless network scanning todiscover one or more available wireless networks, the selection of thefirst wireless device being based on at least one selection criterion;performing the wireless network scanning; and communicating results ofthe scanning to the second wireless device, the results containinginformation to enable the second wireless device to connect to at leastone of the one or more available wireless networks without the secondwireless device having to perform the same wireless network scanning. 2.(canceled)
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one selectioncriterion includes a battery of at least one of the first and secondwireless devices.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wirelessdevice and second wireless device share wireless network scanning. 5.The method of claim 3 wherein the battery related property includesrelative battery energy storage capacities of the first and secondwireless devices.
 6. The method of claim 3 wherein the battery relatedproperty includes relative charge levels of the first and secondwireless devices.
 7. The method of claim 3 wherein the battery relatedproperty includes relative battery energy levels of the first and secondwireless devices.
 8. (canceled)
 9. (canceled)
 10. (canceled) 11.(canceled)
 12. (canceled)
 13. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanningproceeds only while the battery energy level of the first wirelessdevice is above a specific threshold.
 14. The method of claim 13wherein, during the scanning, if the battery energy level of the firstwireless device reaches or falls below the specific threshold, ascanning-ceased indicator is communicated to the second wireless device,the scanning-ceased indicator indicating to the second wireless devicethat the wireless network scanning at the first wireless device hasceased.
 15. The method of claim 1 further comprising, at some timebefore the communicating, receiving information on the wirelesscapabilities of the second wireless device.
 16. The method of claim 1further comprising, at some time before the communicating, sendinginformation on the wireless capabilities of the first wireless device tothe second wireless device.
 17. The method of claim 15 wherein a type ofthe wireless network being scanned for is common to the wirelesscapabilities of both the first and second wireless devices.
 18. A methodin a first wireless device, the method comprising: recognizing a secondwireless device, the second wireless device being separate from thefirst wireless device; selecting the second wireless device as at leastone device to perform wireless network scanning to discover one or moreavailable wireless networks, the selection of the second wireless devicebeing based on at least one selection criterion; and receiving resultsof wireless network scanning performed on the second wireless device,the results containing information enabling the first wireless device toconnect to at least one available wireless network discovered during thescanning without the first wireless device having to perform the samewireless network scanning.
 19. The method of claim 18 furthercomprising, after the receiving, connecting to at least one availablewireless network discovered during the scanning using the results of thescanning.
 20. The method of claim 18 further comprising, before thereceiving, sending information on the wireless capabilities of the firstwireless device to the second wireless device.
 21. A wireless devicecomprising: a processor; a memory storing therein computer readableinstructions; and at least one wireless communication interface forcommunicating with one or more wireless networks, wherein the processoris configured to: recognize a second wireless device, the secondwireless device being separate from the first wireless device; selectthe first wireless device as at least one device to perform wirelessnetwork scanning to discover one or more available wireless networks,the selection of the first wireless device being based on at least oneselection criterion; perform the wireless network scanning; andcommunicate results of the scanning to the second wireless device, theresults containing information to enable the second wireless device toconnect to at least one of the one or more available wireless networkswithout the second wireless device having to perform the same wirelessnetwork scanning.
 22. The wireless device of claim 21, wherein the atleast one selection criterion includes a battery related property of atleast one of the first and second wireless devices.
 23. The wirelessdevice of claim 21, wherein the first wireless device and secondwireless device share wireless network scanning.
 24. The wireless deviceof claim 21 wherein the scanning proceeds only while the battery energylevel of the first wireless device is above a specific threshold. 25.The wireless device of claim 24 wherein, during the scanning, if thebattery energy level of the first wireless device reaches or falls belowthe specific threshold, a scanning-ceased indicator is communicated tothe second wireless device, the scanning-ceased indicator indicating tothe second wireless device that the wireless network scanning at thefirst wireless device has ceased.
 26. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising, prior to the selecting, receiving an indication from thesecond wireless device that the first wireless device is to be selectedas the at least one device to perform the wireless network scanning. 27.The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one selection criterionincludes a battery related property of at least one of the first andsecond wireless devices.
 28. The method of claim 18 further comprising,prior to the selecting, receiving an indication from the second wirelessdevice that the second wireless device is to be selected as the at leastone device to perform the wireless network scanning.
 29. The method ofclaim 27 wherein the battery related property includes at least one ofrelative battery energy storage capacities of the first and secondwireless devices, relative battery energy levels of the first and secondwireless devices, or relative charge levels of the first and secondwireless devices.
 30. The device of claim 22 wherein the battery relatedproperty includes at least one of relative battery energy storagecapacities of the first and second wireless devices, relative batteryenergy levels of the first and second wireless devices, or relativecharge levels of the first and second wireless devices.
 31. The methodof claim 1 wherein the at least one selection criterion includes a userinput.
 32. The method of claim 18 wherein the at least one selectioncriterion includes a user input.
 33. The device of claim 21 wherein theat least one selection criterion includes a user input.
 34. The methodof claim 18 further comprising, before the receiving, indicating theselection to the second wireless device.